Today we’d like to introduce you to Antwan Jones Jr.
Hi Antwan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The oldest of five boys; Yes my mom had five boys! I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD by my mom, aunts and my grandmother. I’m currently living in Los Angeles, CA the sunshine state. Growing up in Baltimore my father was in-prisoned most of my life; my contact with my father was through prison visits, collect calls and letters through out my childhood, teenage years into adulthood. I recently reconnected with my father when he was released from prison when I turned 30 years old. Growing up without a two parent household had its challenges however my mom, aunts and grandmother made sure needs were met. My goal in life was always to make my family proud but also for me to be happy with whatever I decide to do in life. With my family behind me my biggest driver was to be something in life and be more than just a statistic especially coming from a one parent household.
Now that you have a small glance of the back story I want to dive into how cooking and food content creating became a passion of mine. Before my Grandmother Bernice passed away in 2008 the family could always count on Sunday dinner after a long day at church. I saw how food brought the family together with stories, conversations and laughs. My grandmother used to work at a small seafood market in the city during my childhood so I was always interested on how to steam crabs, fry fish and make her famous seafood salad. Anytime I had a chance to help cook or make a dish for the family I felt like a natural in the kitchen.
While my brothers were watching Disney or Nickelodeon I was watching Rachel Ray 30 minute meals taking notes on the next dinner ideas to share with my family, it was a weekly highlight as I loved creating something new. For me it was more than just creating a dish it was about the plating and style, what we now call aesthetic. In adulthood once I moved out on my own I would host dinner parties, Christmas dinner was at my place because I became the person who could cook good in the family and that is like the rite of passage to be given that title. Honestly up until this point I did not look at the culinary world as an actual career.
My career 9-5 has always been in the Automotive industry. I regarded my passion for cooking as just a great hobby. In my late 20s about to hit that 30 year old mark I decided that maybe I should look at my passion for cooking and creating for more than just a hobby. That road brought me to Los Angeles as its a melting pot for cultures, food, and more importantly great weather.
I consider myself to be a home cook but wanted to elevate that to show people that you don’t have to be formally trained to make awesome dishes and be creative. I started off coming up with names for my Brand and learning food photography and plating skills. People eat with their eyes so I felt it was important for people to crave my recipes just by looking at my food photos. I learned so much from my grandmother and family growing up, skills that I use today, Youtube was also a big help with my journey as I’m a visual learner. I came up with the name Eats with Twan and started creating recipes, taking photos and posting to social media. Food photography eventually grew into making recipe videos, as the response was overwhelming from people wanting to recreate my dishes based on my photos.
In 2020 I was contacted by a producer for a TV show called Bravo Top Chef Amateurs, this producer saw my food photography and videos on social media and thought I would be a great fit for an upcoming food contestant show. Being a huge fan of the show I was super excited for the opportunity. To know that people saw me and my work was confirmation taking my passion serious was the right move. I’m still learning and creating. My goal is to get everyone in the kitchen creating. Every new day is an opportunity to follow your passion and dreams.
As of now Eats with Twan is still growing and creating awesome recipes to get everyone in the kitchen.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road at times fear and self doubt would show up and I began to question myself being overly critical about everything in life. Although reconnecting with my father as a grown adult was good I still felt like I missed out on something in life not having him around. I had to accept reality and understand that life is not always fairy tales. Taking care of my mental health became important and actually going to see a therapist to talk out life was something important going into the next chapter in my life. Making a decision to move across the country was scary, but in order to take myself to the next level and grow I had to move out of my own way. Once I got out of my own way I began to challenge myself more in life as nothing comes easy. I spent time trying to make everything perfect but in life you just have to start. I spent years planning the food brand trying to be perfect, but once I stopped trying to be perfect and let my passion show doors began to open.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a food content creator a true foodie, food is my passion as Food brings people together!
My brand is Eats with Twan. I specialize in making easy to follow authentic creative recipes for people to recreate. I’m known for my seafood dishes and food photography. Growing up with a grandmother who worked at a seafood recipe it was impossible not to love seafood. I’m most proud of setting an example for young brother to see that following your passion and dreams can be rewarding. I’m proud to show that yes challenges came but giving up was not an option.
What sets me apart from others is that I have a true love and passion for the food arts. I’m not in it for the money, the money will eventually come. If I did not receive one like or one view on my food content I would still keep creating. There is nothing new under the sun, reimagining dishes, and having an eye for asethetic helps me stand apart from the now crowded space. Although cool trends do fade and I want my work to be around longer than me.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Besides cooking and creating recipes. Being around my family makes me happy. It’s a warm fuzzy feeling that I can not explain. Telling stories, laughing and just being in good company makes very happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.eatswithtwan.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatswithtwan/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eatswithtwan/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqtUThSaLsScztrhqz93Jiw
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@eatswithtwan?lang=en
Image Credits:
Photo of me credit – Bob Fang @ninjaxfang All the other photos are from me.
